'Ready Player One' Author Inks Seven-Figure Book Deal

Ernest Cline, whose debut novel Ready Player One is a New York Times best-seller, has scored a seven-figure book advance for his follow-up novel, Armada. 

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Random House's Crown Publishing bought North American rights. Foreign rights were sold independently, bringing the total to above seven-fgures.

Plot details are being kept under wraps but Armada is said to have a high-concept premise that caters to video game fans.

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The new agreement was made based on a 20-page proposal by Cline, who penned the screenplay for 2009's Fanboys. Foreign rights will be announced shortly and film rights to Armada are said to be in the works.

Dan Farah of Farah Film and Management and literary agent Yfat Reiss Gendell of Foundry Literary represented Cline on the publishing deal.

Farah and Paradigm are once again representing the film rights. 

Ready Player One, a sci-fi novel published by Random House, was released in August 2011, receiving notable end-of-year nods and hitting the New York Times best-seller list. Cline landed on USA Today's top 100 people of 2011 list at No. 29.

Warner Bros. snagged film rights to Ready Player One in 2010 and is adapting it for the big screen with Cline and A Better Life's Eric Eason.

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